Race for District 2 on DuPage County Board is wide open

No incumbents, but experienced public servants seek District 2 seats on DuPage County Board

October 25, 2012|By Bob Goldsborough, Special to the Tribune

Of the six newly-drawn DuPage County Board districts that go into effect in December, District 2 has the oddest contours, extending from northern Lombard down to Oak Brook and northeast to Hinsdale and then all the way over to Lisle and northeast Naperville.

Resembling a C-clamp in shape, the district bisects several large DuPage towns, including Elmhurst, Downers Grove and Lombard, and covers a range of communities with little in common with one another.

Despite that lack of geographic homogeneity, the four candidates vying for three open seats on Nov. 6 all hold similar views on the big issues facing the district and the county. All support efforts by DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin, R-Elmhurst, to consolidate government functions and certain agencies. All are concerned about government spending and about keeping the county economically competitive so that it continues to have a robust employment picture. Several of the contenders also are focused on long-standing stormwater issues.

No incumbents are running. And although all four candidates are newcomers to county politics, all boast significant experience in public service.

Republican Pete DiCianni, 46, Elmhurst's mayor since 2009, plans to step down as mayor if he is elected to the board. A lifelong county resident and the founder and CEO of a family-owned graphics firm, he said the county must deal with economic development and job creation, stormwater management, eliminating duplication and waste, and keeping a high quality of life.

DiCianni pointed to his accomplishments as Elmhurst's mayor, including balancing the city's budget after a nearly $7 million deficit before he took office, bringing a new Elmhurst Memorial Hospital to southern Elmhurst, and overseeing a major redevelopment at the southeast corner of Illinois Highway 83 and St. Charles Road.

DiCianni also has been a DuPage stormwater commissioner. He noted his efforts as lead mayor to secure more than $350 million in federal funding after the storms of 2010, working to help thousands of DuPage residents who suffered flooding. He said he'd like to secure more county funding for local stormwater projects.

Liz Chaplin, 47, the lone Democratic candidate, lives in an unincorporated area near Downers Grove and long has been active in community issues. She works at a family-owned wire and cable company and served on the DuPage Water Commission from 2002 until 2010. While on that panel, she gained a reputation for scrutinizing the agency's financial statements and for questioning its reliance on a countywide sales tax, which now is being phased out.

Chaplin became interested in water issues after high levels of two industrial solvents were found in wells in her neighborhood. Her work advocating for her neighborhood prompted then-DuPage County Board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom to appoint her to the commission's board.

Chaplin said she wants to serve on the County Board to ensure that "our government serves the people and not the other way around."

"It's rare when you will find an individual working with a resident on a problem like contaminated water or a development that concerns them, so I think the people need somebody on their side," she said. "It can take a lot to get officials' attention. That's why I'm different from my colleagues. They all get endorsements from chambers of commerce and mayors, and I'm getting endorsements from citizens."

Sean Noonan, 39, an Elmhurst resident and York Township Republican precinct committeeman, has been a police officer in Bloomingdale for nearly six years, and in Addison before that, and worked in the investigations unit of the DuPage state's attorney's office.

"Getting involved with politics I consider an extension of my public service," Noonan said. "I put my life on the line in my job every day. I've been a public servant for nine and a half years now, and I think I have a different perspective on what is going on."

A supporter of Cronin's successful 2010 run for chairman, Noonan echoed Cronin's desire for consolidation of government functions and expressed his support for the move to outsource the county's youth home to Kane County.

"It was the right thing, because it's already saving us $1.3 million a year," Noonan said. "Everyone's got a different background and skill, so I'm very open-minded. I'm open to any idea that will benefit us as a whole. Regardless of my feelings toward them, if somebody proposes an idea and it sounds like a great idea, I'm all for it. You've got to put personalities aside and do things that are beneficial to the public."

Republican Elaine Zannis, 55, is in her second term as a village trustee in Oak Brook. A real estate agent who was born in Greece and moved to the United States at age 5, Zannis said she enjoys being an advocate for residents and would like to take that experience to the county. She pointed to her work on Oak Brook's Village Board at making tough decisions in cost-cutting and reducing staff.

"Oak Brook's probably the most fiscally sound municipality in DuPage County, and I was part of that change," she said. "It was pretty painful, but we were ahead of the curve."

Zannis said she'd like to see more work done on consolidation and shared purchasing, plus she favors restructuring the pay scale for the County Board. She said she is particularly interested in zeroing in on the DuPage Technology Park, which long has operated at a deficit and received a subsidy from the board.

"If we could focus on getting the tech park up and running, then, that place would break even," she said.